Hornby LNER A1/A3 class review

This week’s model review is Hornby’s super-detail version of what is claimed to be the world’s most famous locomotive – 4472 Flying Scotsman. The LNER A3 class is an ever popular prototype and it was high time it was reviewed here on Locoyard! Before we begin, I must apologise for this model’s lack of smoke deflectors and double chimney; unfortunately the smoke deflectors were broken when purchased as a “non-runner” a couple of years ago. The valve gear had been bent slightly and all it needed was straightening them out make it a runner. It still needs some TLC to either add smoke deflectors or perhaps replacing the double chimney with a single chimney, as it ran in it’s Alan Pegler days. This mini-project will, no doubt, be a feature of a future blog post! That said, some A3’s ran with double chimney’s and no smoke deflectors, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the flying Scotsman could look as this model does.

Class: Gresley A1/3 Pacfic

Use: Express Passenger

Region: London and North Eastern Railway

Era: 1922 (A3: 1928) – 1966

Preserved example:

4472 (60103) Flying Scotsman – undergoing heavy overhaul at the National Railway Museum, York

Manufacturer: Hornby

Model Reviewed: Hornby R2441 NRM super-detail version with smoke deflectors removed (click here for prototype info)

Motor: 5 pole Loco-drive

Power: Heavyweight

DCC options: 8 pin dcc ready/fitted

Locoyard Review

Detailing:

5/5

Excellent cab details (below)and opening cab roof (above) , handrails lamp irons and class variations of tender types, Banjo or round domes, single/double chimney and german style smoke deflectors (note that the illustrated model has had its smoke deflectors removed).

Outline/Looks: 5/5

Pretty much impossible to fault, the locomotive looks fantastic from any angle.

Finish/Decoration:

4.5/5

Very good finish and printing although brass nameplates would be a nice addition. A very small but none-the-less present seam from the moulding loses the model half a mark. Apple green application is superb however.

Running Qualities:

5/5

Superb – quiet, reliable and smooth. The mechanism is so much better than the all-or-nothing tender drive version it replaced.

Relative Power:

5/5

It’s a powerful model, capable of pulling long trains – I’m yet to be able to find too heavy a load for it on the small but tightly curved circuit of Locoyard.

Specification:

4.5/5

It has everything a modern 00 scale ready to run model should have, excluding a DCC sound version.

Value:

4/5

Pretty good value overall, considering it is a large model that performs brilliantly and looks so good. Secondhand examples are reasonably good value, particularly the ever-popular 4472 Flying Scotsman, especially if it’s not in mint condition – as this one was. As with Hornby’s A4 class, be sure you get a loco-drive version as the first “super-detail” versions were tender-drive and the performance of these were not nearly as good, nor were they DCC ready.